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TOBIAS WITMER, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

' Letters Patent No. 113,958, dated April 18, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT iN FIRE-ESCAPE LADDERS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

T0 all whom. it' may concern:

Beit known that I, Tontas Wrrunu, of Buffalo, in the county ot'A Erie and State ot' New York, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Conveying and Raising Ladders, and for other purposes; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had 'to the accompanying drawing which is made part of this specification.

rhis apparatus may he readily drawn from piace to place after the manner of a truck or wagon, and is provided with a number of ladders, or with an extensioniadder, wl ich may be turned into an upright position to fulfill the ndice et a lire-escape or for other purpose, and which may he moved from one point to another (as in rescuing occupants at the different windows of a burning building, for example) without' being lowered.

lt will obviously appear hat the invention is applicable to the raising of hose orwater-pipcs in connection with the ladders, as wellas to the raising of rlagstais and signal-towers, bridging streams` and ditches, storming fortifications, 81o.

I sha-ii proceed to describe the invention as illus trate-d in its adaptation for raising ladders.

Figure l4 is a sectionalside elevation o' myimproved apparatus.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan. of the same.

Figure is an end view of a pair of the ladders.

Figure "i: is a modification.

Similar letters ci' reference indicate corresponding parte in the several gures.

A A represent two wheels, which may be mounted upon shortaxiai shafts a a, projecting horizontally from an annular band, B', which cucire-les and sustains the rear end of a casing, O, containing an extensible ladder or a plurality ofladders, D D, which may 'he projected one beyond the other by cords and pulleys suitably applied, er 'ny other available means.

The forward end of the casing Gkwhen the same is in a horizontal position, rests upon a truck, E, to which it is connected by a king-bolt, e, and proper fastonings.

Said truck may carry a box, F, to contain water or other weighty appendage, for the purpose ot' counts"- baiancing the weight ot' the ladders when they are placed inan upright position, and when the frame or ladder H taken the horizontal position of a reach so as to keep the ladder D from tipping over. Said box may also "erve as an anchor in raising the apparatus, as herninafter explained.

The casing (l is provided with a water-chamber or box at its rear or lower end for the purpose of giving it weight 'cy filling the water-chamber or box with water or other heavy substance, to aid in placing,r the sam'ein an upright position and keeping it in that position while in use; hut the said water-chamber may, if preferred, be dispensed with.`

A draft-tongue, Gr, is attached to the truck E, so that the apparatus may he drawn by a team after the manner of a wagon, or by nieu if vmore convenient.

E isa frame or ladder, the form of which may he substantially as represented in fig. 2, Where it will be seen that the extremities, of its side hars are tted upon 'the axles c, a of the wheels A A, and that said bars join at the front in such a manner as to form earings for a windlass, Land a point or attachment for a pulley, J, and a king-bolt, L. (See iig. 1.) This frame H may also he provided with rounds and serve as a ladder when no great height is to be attained, and extension ladders may also he attached thereto.

A rope or chain, m, extends from the windlass to the forward end of the machine, where it is attached, and a rope or chain, u, goes from the upper end ofthe frameor vladder E to the rear end ot' the machine, where it may work upon an attached pulley.

I propose by the above-described means cr'auysubstantially equivalent to effect the elevation of the ladders and their conveyance from" place to place when elevated, the manner ot' which shall now proceed to explain.

P l? are props having pivotal attachment to the axles c, a. These props are turned so as to present their pointed ends to the rear, and by catching against the ground prevent the backward movement of the apparatus while the ladders are being made to assume an upright position. A further step preparato@Y to raising the ladders is to nnfasten the hing-bolt c from the forward truck. Power beingnow applied at J (for which purpose the truck E may serve as au anchor) to draw backward the upper end of frame H, said frame, in conjunction with. thev cord or chain m and wheels A A, operates after the manner of a lever to place the ladders with their asing in an upright position. rlhis having been done the ladders may, before stated, he projeetedupward one beyond the other, to aiord a means of ascent and descent or conveyance to and from elevatedvpoiuts. In the act of turning the ladders upright the frame H is brought to a horizontal position, and it is then made to serve the purpose of a reach by having its king-holt L fastened to the truck E, the latter having been detached from the ladder-casing at thecommencement of the elevation thereof, and wheeled'iutc position for its new service, when it may serve as an anchor to keep the apparatus upright. 'One or more guys or ropes may be employed to steady the apparatus when the ladders are raised. The'weight ofthe lower end or' the ladder-casing, (which may be filled with water or other heavy substance,) as well as its proximity'with the ladders to theix` horizontal position. I thus attain employed.

, ropes or chains m m. If preferred,the oidce of. the

the ground or supporting surface, may aid in maintaining the-upright position of the same.

1t is manifest that by thus using the frame H as a reach andv adapting 'the apparatus for -the reattachment of .theibrward truck -the apparatus may be wheeled'from placeto place 'Without irst restoring a greatimprovement by facilitating and expediting theiinportant work for which the. machine may be I'do not limit'myself to the construction herein 'shown and described,v nor Lto the use of a casing for the ladders, as saidcasing may be dispensed with.

` The band B maybe provided with a rigid bearing for a pinion-wheel, B, which meshes with the teeth of a rack, C', fixed rigidly to the. casing O of the ladders. By means of this pinion the casing4 C, when upright, may belet down so as to rest uponvits end, or' raised out of contact with the supporting surface when it is to-be conveyed from one point to another.

Any desired inclination may be given the ladders when set up for use by means of the windlass I and wheels may be supplied by runners orothermovable support.

1 The ladders or body of the machine may also be raised to any desired inclination bymeans of a double ratchet-wheel, (or two ratchetwheels,) y, g. 4,'Qvvhich are attached' firmly tothe 4axle a, operated'by the pawls x x", tigi' 4, which are respectively attached with bolts tothe propsP P, in which case said props may be used as levers with which to raise the ladders by turning the ratchet-wheel y. Or, it' preferred, a spurwheel,-Z, fig. 4, may be rmly fastened to the axle a so as to gear it into a piniou,.W, iig. 4, which may* be fastened withv its bearingsiin the prop P and operated by the crank fu to turn the axle a, and thus vbring .the ladders ,up to any desired elevation, the ratchets and pawls sustaining it.` l

the frame is swung toward the ground previously' te swinging up the ladders, in case I desire to throw them across a stream to be employed as a bridge, or against a'fortication for storming purposes.

The invention may be made to constitute an implement for shifting barrels, bales,vor.goods from orto upper stories of buildings, o r from one to another. 1t

may Ialso be used as a portable crane or derriclr for v 'raising goods and commodities into \vagons, cars, 85e.

It mayalso, by adding a floor and 'railing to the frame, be adapted for use as abridge, for. shipping cattle into and out of cars, 85e.,v

Having thus described my invention,

lVhat I claim as newherein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The'frame H when pivoted to the same axis` with the ladders, and having operating cords or chains m n in front and rear, in connection with the detachable truck E .and -laddersD or casing C, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2.- lhe combination with the ladders D or casing O of the rack O'y and pinion B, applied and operating as'and for the purpose set forth. y f

3. The ratchet'or ratchets y y', pawls x x, and props P, as arranged with theladders, substantially as and for the purpose described.

To the above" specification I have signed my name this 4th day of March, 1869.

' TOBIAS WITMER.

Witnesses:

MARTIN WITMER, T. WITMER, J r. 

